Anyone who appreciates vintage fashion or is interested in
social history will love this new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum. It celebrates
the inventiveness and adaptability of women during World War II and how they
were determined not to let Hitler stop them being stylish.
The show ranges from the way practicalities changed how women
dressed to rationing and the Make do and Mend culture. More than 300 exhibits
have been brought together, including clothing, accessories, wartime letters, photographs
and film.
There are six sections.
Into Uniform looks at how fashion was immediately influenced
by the number of servicemen and women flooding the streets. Their uniforms provoked pride and sometimes
jealousy – the Wrens had a chic dark blue suit (left), whereas women in the Auxiliary
Territorial Services had to make do with a khaki uniform that novelist Barbara
Cartland described as ‘hideous’. Hats and suits inspired by uniforms soon
appeared and by the spring of 1940 there were advertisements in Vogue for
outfits “with a military touch".
Functional Fashion explores the way the demands of wartime
life changed the way civilians dressed, inspiring retailers to come up with
innovative products such as gas-mask handbags, luminous buttons and siren suits – the ‘onesies’ of their day.
Rationing and Make do and Mend explains why clothes
rationing was introduced in 1941 and how the nation’s shopping habits changed.
People were encouraged to make clothes last longer by mending, altering,
knitting and creating new outfits out of old materials. On display is for the
first time is lingerie made from out-of-date RAF silk maps for Countess Mountbatten.
Utility Clothing was introduced in 1941 to standardise
production. Although there were restrictions on the number of pleats and
buttons, trouser turn-ups were forbidden and fabrics had to be durable, the
outfits were designed by couturiers such as Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies.
The stylish, simple lines of many of the clothes on display look just as good today.
Beauty as Duty examines the lengths to which many women went
to maintain their personal appearance. Although items such as lipstick and face
powder were still manufactured, they were in short supply. Magazines advised
making lipsticks last longer by melting down the ends and packing the paste
back into an empty case. As a last
resort, lips could be stained with beetroot juice. Patriotism also made its mark in the beauty world. Lipsticks had names like Regimental Red, and this novelty compact is in the form of a US officer's cap.
Peace and a new look covers the introduction in 1947 of
Christian Dior’s “New Look” with its nipped-in waist and full skirt. Although it
met with some initial disapproval (Picture Post ran the headline: “Paris
Forgets this is 1947”) women whose clothes had patches on their patches were desperate for change. The new fashion soon made its way into high street shops and in 1949, clothes rationing ended.
There’s an excellent illustrated book to accompany the exhibition by
social historian Julie Summers.She weaves together stories from ordinary lives and high society to provide a unique picture of life during the Second World War and concludes that if fashion did stagnate
then, creativity did not. And creativity, she points out, is the
spirit of fashion.
Fashion on the Ration: 1940s Street Style is at the Imperial
War Museum until August 31.
Fashion on the Ration – Style in the Second World War by
Julie Summers. Profile Books, £16.99
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